Building bridges on placement at Mott MacDonald

I’m really enjoying experiencing consultant life first hand, and it’s definitely something I’d like to pursue further in the future

— Junshi Wace, MEng Civil Engineering with placement year, 2017

Junshi works on placement at Mott MacDonald

Since starting my role at Mott MacDonald, I have been a part of many big projects across the department, including a tender design for a large new international bridge, where I was partly responsible for the design of the foundations. I have been involved in several bridge assessments, desk studies for Network Rail and small scale infrastructure feasibility studies as part of a wider plan to increase train capacity into London Waterloo Station.

I've definitely developed my commercial awareness and CAD/software skills. It’s been particularly great to get to work on so many projects in a short time – something which only the youngest team members will get to do!

I would never have found such an exciting placement had it not been for the University. The Faculty Placements Team was so helpful and encouraging and made applying to over 25 different companies manageable! The help and support I received during a practice interview with the Careers Advisory Service was undeniably one of the key factors in securing my placement.

Looking ahead

The break from exams is amazing, and I now feel like I’ll be able to focus more next year so I can create even more opportunities for myself in the future, as well as having the experience to put on my CV and help me with my final two years.

I’m really enjoying experiencing consultant life first hand, and it’s definitely something I’d like to pursue further in the future, although it’s clearly not for everyone. I’d love to work overseas in the future, and I hope that getting the experience with a multinational company this early in my career will provide more opportunities both here in the UK and abroad.